


Blood Bound

by justanexercise



Series: Blood Bound Series [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Other, romantic kalex, unrequited kalex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-09-26 06:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9870782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanexercise/pseuds/justanexercise
Summary: When Alex gets infected, Kara will become the person she needs to be in order to save her.





	1. Teaser

 

Kara pushes the earpiece deeper into her ear, the wind slightly dislodging it. She makes a note to ask Winn to fix it, maybe make a loop around her ear.

 _“Did you get all that Supergirl?”_ Lucy says into her earpiece, no longer sounding quite as staticky.

“Yup, Meta-human at National City Town Hall.”

Even through the whistling wind, Kara can hear Lucy’s frustrated sigh. _“It’s not confirmed it’s a Meta-human. Humanoid appearance with powers. Looks like a human male with spines protruding out his body. He hasn’t hurt anyone yet and seems to be disoriented.”_

“Good good, so minimal punching.”

_“Subdue and contain.”_

J’onn flies up next to her, giving her a nod.

 _“We’ve got a perimeter set up and Trap One and Two are evacuating civilians with NCPD,”_ Lucy says.

“Roger roger,” Kara says. She turns to J’onn in the air. “Who’s Trap one and two again?”

“Alex and Agent Rodriguez.”

“Right, I totally knew that.”  Kara speeds past him, not wanting to see his exasperated head shake at her.

By the time they touch down to the ground, there’s a few straggling civilians being ushered out by the cops. Good. The supposed Meta-human or alien looks like a normal human man at first glance. He spots them, his eyes glowing red. His jaw drops, nearly unhinging as he growls at them. The clothes on his back rip apart as spines erupt all over his body.

 “Now I don’t want to hurt—“ Kara zooms off to the side as the spines embed themselves into the ground she’d just been standing on. Kara flies off to the side. “Well that’s just rude!”

Kara shoots her heat vision but the meta-human roars, absorbing the rays, his skin glowing a deep red.

“Uh oh.”

The Meta-human blows out spines in all directions. She narrowly avoids the worst of them, a few grazing her suit, the ballistic material barely holding up. J’onn has to duck behind a car and even then the shockwave knocks him into a wall.

“Crap,” Kara groans. “Okay so no heat vision. How about…” Kara sucks in a breath and flies around the Meta-human, creating an icy barrier and freezing his skin. It’s holding him, for now.

Kara quickly does a scan for any more innocent people. She frowns at the man pointing a camera towards the Meta-human. Not your typical Youtube viral poster, early 50s, wearing generic dark red scrubs. He looks up from his camera at the same time the ice cracks around the Meta-human.

Kara super speeds to the man, carrying him to the police line and depositing him in front of Maggie. She nods once to Maggie who’s already hauling him off to an ambulance.

She gets back to the Meta-human in time to see the ice evaporate into a thin red mist. The plants around him wither and die. Kara takes a step back. “Uhh…guys…whatever he is, he is definitely deadly.”

“ _What happened?”_ Lucy asks.

The Meta-human drops to one knee and takes harsh winded breaths.

“I tried to use my freeze breath but he just…glowed red and then the plants around us died.” Kara cautiously circles him. “Looks like it took a lot out of him.”

He snaps his head up, screeching at Kara and raising his hands with tiny spines coming out of his skin.

J’onn kicks a truck into the Meta-human, smashing them both into the ground. At least this time it’s his fault he wrecked property, she doesn’t have to listen to him drone on about the mayor and requisition forms.

Kara’s fist collides with the Meta-human’s face. “Ow ow.” Kara shakes out her hand, dislodging slivers of what looks like glass embedded into her knuckles.

The Meta-human grins, its yellow teeth make an appearance and Kara scrambles backwards so he chomps on air instead. Kara blows her freeze breath to buy some time for J’onn who’s broken apart a flag pole, flying up into the air and jamming it straight down into the Meta-human’s back. It screeches and bats J’onn away like a pesky fly.

“J’onn!”

She shuffles towards him but she’s got something more pressing to worry about. The Meta-human glows red again, its spines regenerating and directing it all towards Kara. She revs up to fly straight into the air but the Meta-human shoots a measly spine into her cape and Kara gets yanked back down. Kara shields herself with her arms, prepared for the brunt of the spines to impale her.

“Hey ugly!”

The Meta-human turns its attention to the voice and Kara looks on in horror. It’s Alex, perched on a building with a rocket launcher.

“Alex!” Kara screams and tries to fly again, forgetting the spike in the ground and lurching back down. She stomps down on it, sending it deep into the earth and making a giant hole in her cape. Doesn’t matter, she needs to get to Alex.

Too late.

Alex lets off a rocket and the Meta-human shoots its spines.

Kara frantically cracks the pavement, launching in the air as Alex swan dives down the building. At least the spines don’t hit her but now Alex might go splat instead. Kara breaks the sound barrier faster than she’s ever had and catches Alex. She lands on the ground, gently putting Alex down and puts her hand all over Alex, checking her over.

“I’m fine,” Alex bats her hands away and unhooks the line on her belt. She glances over Kara’s shoulder. “Looks like it’s down.”

Kara confirms that it is no longer moving so she directs her attention to Alex. “What was that?”

“What? I was on a line.”

Alex pushes past her and runs over to J’onn. J’onn groans, rubbing his head. Once he spots Alex he narrows his eyes. “That was reckless.”

“You mean badass.”

“Alex!”  J’onn shoves her behind him and tries to shield her with his cape.

The Meta-human’s spines melt into his body, surrounding them in a haze of red vapor. The vapor surrounds them, while J’onn and Kara remain unaffected, Alex coughs and tries to cover her face. She drops to her knees, slumping against J’onn and her hands fall away, her face covered in blood.

“Alex!” Kara watches in horror as her body seizes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying my hand in an episodic format.
> 
> FYI it's like...a hopeful Kalex ending.


	2. Act One

“She shouldn’t have been there!” Kara shouts. The rest of the DEO startles. Supergirl shouting means a lot of property damage and a whole mess of paperwork.

“I know,” J’onn says. He frowns at the splinters still lining Kara’s reddened knuckles. “Supergirl you have to get that checked out.”

Kara turns straight around, ignoring him and stalks over to the med bay.

J’onn grabs her elbow and spins her around. “Kara, you have to remove those, we don’t know what they are and it can make Alex sick.”

Her lips thin to a line. He knows just what needs to be said to get her to comply. “Fine,” she grits out.

Kara looks passed the nurse removing the splinters from her knuckles. Her fingers twitch, barely feeling the pain. She can hear the heart monitor attached to Alex more than Alex’s steady heartbeat.

“Are we done?” she asks after the nurse sets down the forceps.

“Yes, but the Director wants you to stay on the sunbed for an hour.” The nurse startles when Kara stands up and walks to the door instead. “Supergirl—“

“You tried to stop me,” Kara says with a serious nod. She doesn’t wait for the nurse to try again.

Kara makes her way to Alex’s room and glares at the guard trying to block her entrance. He gulps and takes a step back. Kara doesn’t acknowledge anyone anymore. Her attention is all focused on Alex; Alex who has a mask over her face and IV’s in her arm. Kara gently slides her hand under Alex’s palm.

“You big dummy,” Kara says, leaning over Alex and kisses her forehead. She stays there, trying to will Alex awake.

It doesn’t work.

She stays there for hours, only moving for the doctor to take more vials of blood from Alex and immediately goes back to holding onto Alex’s hand the second they’re done.

“Why isn’t she waking up?” Kara asks when she senses J’onn and Lucy walking in.

“Medically induced coma.” Doctor Lin explains, coming through the doorway after J’onn. She stands to the empty space on the other side of the bed and fiddles with the computer monitoring Alex’s condition. “She has some swelling in the brain.” Doctor Lin explains patiently. “She did get a dose of radiation poisoning.”

“What?” Kara’s eyes widen. “Like Reactron did?”

“Not quite that much, thankfully. Doctor Danvers synthesized solutions to counteract radiation poisoning.” She looks at Alex proudly. “Good thing she’s been keeping up with the therapy, would’ve been much worse if she hadn’t been.”

Kara blinks, confused for a moment. She smiles gently. Right, the science team refers to Alex as Doctor Danvers and not Agent Danvers.

“So she’s…?” Kara licks her dry lips.

“She’ll be fine, soon. Minimal exposure, probably going to feel like shit for at least a week when she wakes up.” Doctor Lin turns to J’onn. “I’m recommending desk duty for at least two weeks.”

Kara scoffs. “Make it a month.” She grips Alex’s hand tighter.

J’onn chuckles, nodding along. “For the stunt she pulled, a month is more than sufficient punishment.”

Lucy scoffs. “We all know she’ll wiggle her way to two weeks.” She gives Kara a sly smile. “Unless someone can use their infamous pout.”

Kara’s lips curl into a smile. Of course Alex would, but she’s definitely going to abuse her pout to ensure Alex wouldn’t be off dangerous missions. At least until Kara can squash down the pinpricks of fear and failure in her chest every time she sees Alex.

Her brow furrows, the previous conversation sinking in. “Doctor, what do you mean she’s been keeping up with therapy?”

“For radiation poisoning, yes.”

“Why would she…?”

Doctor Lin glances at Alex for a moment before clearing her throat uncomfortably. “That would…uhm…”

“Tell me. Please.” Kara doesn’t even need to purposely make her eyes water, they’re already in full concerned puppy dog mode.

“Kryptonite, it emits a low level radiation.”

Kara grits her teeth and nods tightly. 

“Right, I’ll just…” Doctor Lin gestures awkwardly elsewhere and leaves them there to watch over Alex.

Kara glares defiantly at J’onn and Lucy shuffles back, they clearly need some space.

“So I’ll …be back at the other base, let me know when Alex wakes up?” Lucy hurries out of there, she does have actual work to do. A Meta-human showing up in a populated city for no reason has too much paperwork involved.

“Did you know?” Kara asks after a moment of tense silence. “The first thing you’ve ever said to me, you told me kryptonite was a radioactive mineral.”

J’onn turns his head. “The levels were acceptable.”

“To who? Alex is human.”

“It was the only way to put you on even ground with her. Alex deemed the risks acceptable.”

Kara releases a harsh breath through her nose. “Not anymore.”

J’onn digs his fingers into his forearms to stop himself from arguing with her. It was Alex’s decision, one he hadn’t been totally on board with as J’onn but as Hank Henshaw he’d allowed it. Maybe it’s time to revoke that.

The walkie on J’onn’s belt crackles and Winn’s voice comes through.

_“Sorry to uh…hello? Can you hear me? Over.”_

J’onn manages to only groan internally. “Yes Mr. Schott?”

_“There’s a bank robbery at National City National and I know Alex is still in the red but they could really use Supergirl’s help.”_

Kara takes a breath to collect herself and stands tall. “Got it.” She leans over Alex and presses a light kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back. Be nice to everyone and don’t you dare sneak off.”

\--

“Detective,” Kara says, landing next to Maggie.

“Supergirl, glad you’re here.” Maggie straps on her bulletproof vest. She glances around for prying ears, finding none. “How’s Alex?”

Kara smiles faintly, lowering her Supergirl persona for a moment. “She’s stable.”

Maggie nods, her lips set into a frown. The walkie blares on the patrol car and Maggie goes straight back into Detective mode.

“Since you’re here…” Kara motions towards the bank. “Alien involvement?”

“We’re not positive yet, but the weapons they have are the same ones Cadmus supplied to the gate crashes at the Luthor party.”

Kara huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “Of course.” She squints, using her X-ray vision. “They’ve got ten hostages and five guys. They’re setting up a bomb for the vault.”

“Alright, think you can—“ Maggie starts.

Kara shoots herself straight up the air, the wind knocking the rest of Maggie’s sentence away. First, she needs to get the hostages to safety, then round up all the robbers. Easy. Kara swoops in and tears the alien gun out of the lookout guy’s hands, dismantling it. His mouth drops open to warn his comrades but Kara slaps a hand over his mouth and drops him behind the police line in front of Maggie.

Maggie’s already got her gun pointed at him and instructs another officer to cuff him. Teamwork at its best.

“Go go!” Kara whispers to the hostages after breaking all their zip ties. She watches them run out of there, making sure all of them are safe before turning her attention towards the rest of the robbers.

“Supergirl!”

Three robbers surround her, guns pointed at her.

“I knew you would be here,” says a man in a pig mask.

“You’re robbing a bank in my city,” Kara says, tilting her head to point out the obvious.

“This isn’t your city,” he hisses, cocking the gun. It whines and glows, ready to fire.

Kara narrows her eyes, looks like talking won’t cut it now, time for some punching. She lurches into the air as they all fire at her. The ground breaks under what looks to be plasma beams, following her as she zips around the ceiling. The robbers don’t’ care where they’re shooting, even if their beams cross a few oversized chandeliers. Kara shakes her head, what’s with rich people and chandeliers? They creak ominously before the lines snap, dropping straight onto one of the robbers.

Kara swoops in and grabs the heavyset robber before the chandelier can crush him. She once again drops him in front of Maggie and yanks the gun out of his hands.

“Detective,” Kara says, pushing the gun into Maggie’s arms. “Hold that for me.”

The robber holds his hands in the air as officers all around him point their guns at him.

“You have the right to remain silent…” Maggie starts reciting his rights looking as badass as ever with a giant gun on one shoulder.

Two down, three to go. The other robbers have retreated to the bank vault. There’s only one way out now. She squints, trying to see through the vault. Lead lined, of course. Kara huffs and turns on her super hearing instead.

_Gotta get out of here!_

_Supergirl’s out there how the fuck are we gonna do that Brian?_

_We have these guns for a reason, now we just have to—_

_Fuck man, I’m not doing this!_

_Do or die._

Kara hears the whine of the gun and an indignant shout. She gets to the entrance of the vault, seeing the ringleader, Brian, pointing his gun at another man holding his hands in the air. She heat visions his gun, making it skew to the side once he shoots, the gun too hot for him to hold now.

“Run!” she says to the man who’s had a change of heart. He drops the gun held loosely in his hands as he scrambles out of there with the other robber.

“Just me and you Barbie,” Brian mocks, shaking out his hands.

“I’m giving you one chance to surrender,” Kara says.

“Thanks, I decline!” He reaches into his waistband and pulls out a compact version of the gun, shooting it straight at her chest.

Kara slams into the wall with a grunt. She ducks and dodges the next plasma bullets coming at her. Upending a sturdy metal table, Kara takes a breather behind it as he continues to shoot wildly at her. She rubs at her chest, the ballistic material of her uniform slightly charred. Winn’s not going to like that one bit.

The table slowly starts to melt at the volleys of plasma bullets. Kara kicks the table out but Brian leaps to the side and rolls over to find the discarded gun. Now armed with two of them, Brian grins.

“Good bye Supergirl!”

Brian gets slammed from behind and Kara whisks over to disarm him and catch him before he gets knocked into a wall. She looks over her shoulder, watching Maggie with the SWAT team. Maggie holds the gun in her hand with a giant smirk.

“I am so keeping this,” Maggie says.

As the NCPD rounds up the robbers into the police van, Maggie unfortunately relinquishes the alien weaponry to the DEO agents who suddenly turned up. She scowls.

“So not fair,” she mutters.

“Sorry,” Kara says with an apologetic shrug. “Maybe Alex would…” Kara swallows thickly. “You can ask her when she’s awake.”

Maggie places a comforting hand on Kara’s shoulder. Kara lays her hand over Maggie’s, gathering strength from each other. After the moment, Kara shakes out of it.

“You’re lucky they didn’t shoot you in the chest twice,” Maggie gestures over to the slightly charred uniform. “Danvers would throw a fit over a boob window.”

Kara groans in disgust. “You saw those?”

“You have very creative fans.”

Kara shivers, remembering the art work that she’d seen. Some of them were in fact amazing, but the more sexual ones…well she doesn’t have enough brain bleach to get those images out of her head.

An officer waves Maggie over. Maggie nods sharply at him.

“Alright, I gotta…” she points her thumb over her shoulder.

“Of course.”

Kara watches Maggie command her team before shooting back into the air. It’s time to check on Alex again.

\--

“She’s awake? Why didn’t you call me?” Kara stumbles over her feet trying to get to Alex’s room.

“She just woke up a few minutes ago.” J’onn leads her to the windows, watching Doctor Lin fret over Alex.

Kara swallows nervously, hearing the barrage of questions Doctor Lin is asking Alex. She breathes out in relief hearing the sass in Alex’s raspy voice. The coil in her chest eases up.

Doctor Lin waves them in and Kara is by Alex’s side so fast everyone’s hair flutters.

“Hey.” Kara holds Alex’s hand tightly to her cheek.

Alex smiles tiredly and gently rubs her thumb along Kara’s skin. “Hey, I’m okay.”

Doctor Lin scoffs. “Not okay yet Danvers, but getting there.”

Alex rolls her eyes good naturedly, groaning as she attempts to sit up. Kara puts a hand to Alex’s breast bone and pushes her back down.

“I feel like shit…” Alex says. She eyes the neon yellow IV bag feeding into her vein and shakes her head. “Seriously?”

Doctor Lin hums and turns the knob to feed a faster drip.

“Oh come on!” Alex rasps out.

“What is that?” Kara asks.

“Elixir,” Doctor Lin answers with a cheeky grin.

“Please don’t call it that.” Alex frowns.

“Fine, EL-139, but as we all know it as Elixir.” Doctor Lin adds a few more notes onto Alex’s chart. “Regenerative drug, and you are burning through it fast.”

“That’s…good right?” Kara directs her question towards Alex.

“I hate it.” Alex shifts, wanting to cross her arms petulantly over her chest. “Makes me feel hungover.”

“Well when you’re actually okay, you’ll have plenty of time to develop EL-140 to eliminate that feeling,” Doctor Lin says.

“Plenty of…” Alex narrows her eyes at J’onn. “You’re grounding me?”

Kara snorts but at Alex’s glare she bites her lip. “You really scared me.” She makes her lips wobble and her eyes teary.

“That’s cheating.” Alex looks away from Kara’s face and attempts to yank back her hand, but Kara won’t let go. “Fine…but you’re bringing me food from every country. I want authentic everything.”

“Deal.”

J’onn shakes his head with a tight lipped smile. He takes Alex’s free hand and squeezes. “I’m glad you’re feeling good enough to make deals.”

“Speaking of deals…how long—“

“No.” J’onn squares his shoulders against the infamous Danvers pout. “After that stunt there will be no negotiating your…grounding.”

Kara sniggers and clears her throat. “Nope, definitely no negotiating.”

“Mmhmm,” Alex hums, her eyes getting droopy with fatigue. “We’ll talk…later.”

While Doctor Lin and J’onn leave the room to do more DEO duties, Kara grabs a chair from the table and holds Alex’s hand. She’ll be here for as long as she can, watching over Alex. Kara’s eyes eventually droop and she lays her head next to Alex’s hand, pressing her lips against the inside of Alex’s wrist, feeling the blood rush in her veins.

She’s so in tune with Alex’s body that at the first sign of a change, Kara’s eyes pop open. She blearily looks at Alex’s writhing body. Kara notes how warm Alex is, much higher than what a normal human fever should be.

“Alex…Alex!” Kara helps Alex sit up, hearing Alex choking.

Alex coughs with uneven stuttered breaths.

“Doctor!” Kara yells out. She doesn’t want to leave Alex alone, but a glance out towards the windows to the other agents calling out for Doctor Lin leaves Kara here with Alex.

Kara smooths her hands up and down Alex’s back, hoping to ease whatever it is. Alex grips onto Kara’s forearm so hard to relieve the pain she’s in.

Doctor Lin runs into the room in time to see Alex spit out blood all over Kara’s Supergirl uniform. Kara gets pushed away as the medical team bursts through, surrounding Alex. Kara stares wide-eyed while Alex seizes on the bed, blood pouring out of her nose and mouth.

Alex’s heart beats so quickly the heart rate monitor sounds more like a flat line, but Kara can see the rapid beating of Alex’s heart. Too fast.

And it all stops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Episodic format, so every act ends in a GASP. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. FIND OUT AFTER THE COMMERCIAL BREAK.


	3. Act Two

“She’s stable,” J’onn says, appearing next to Kara.

Kara’s fingernails dig into her elbows with her arms crossed over her chest. Her jaw clenches. “You said that last time.”

They both watch the flurry of activity in the quarantine room. The nurse tapes another electrode on Alex’s chest, checking the monitor to test it. Alex has too many machines connected to her to keep her alive. Kara squeezes her eyes shut as the nurse takes another vial of blood from Alex’s arm. There’s not enough blood staying in Alex’s body and they’re taking more.

“Did you get anything from the Meta-human?” Kara asks, concentrating on something she can help with.

J’onn shakes his head. “He’s disoriented.”

“Why didn’t you read his mind?”

Taking a slow breath, J’onn says, “I tried.”

Kara furrows her eyebrows, the infamous crinkle making an appearance. “Tried?”

“His thoughts are muddled, I couldn’t grasp onto them.”

“So you didn’t get anything?”

J’onn’s eyes cast down in failure. Kara lays a comforting hand over his forearm before she walks down the hall with determined steps.

“Supergirl, what are you doing?”

“I haven’t talked to him yet.”

“Ten minutes,” he calls out to her.

Kara’s lips set into a line. She’ll take as long as she needs to get anything to help Alex.

She feels a crash of sympathy wash over her, seeing the Meta-human hunched over in his cell. He hurt Alex, he poisoned Alex. Kara squares her shoulders.

“Who are you?” she asks, her Supergirl voice booming around them.

His head jerks up, his eyes widening when he sees her. “Supergirl?”

“That’s me, now who are you?”

“I…” he scratches his head and winces. His body trembles when he spots the spikes coming out of him. “I don’t…what…I don’t…”

Kara’s body loosens, she drops her interrogation pose and steps close to the glass prison. “Do you know why you’re here?”

He shakes his head, swallowing thickly.

“We found you at the Town Hall. You attacked us.”

“But I…how did I…?” He points to the yellow spines across his skin. “What is this?”

Kara frowns. “You’re not an alien are you?”

“No! I’m human…was…I don’t…” he rocks back and forth, hitting the back of his head against the glass wall.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

He sniffles, eyes darting all over the place. A beat later, his eyes snap to hers. “You…and a green monster.”

Kara doesn’t let her hackles rise at the description of J’onn. She nods. “And before that?”

“A room…it was white…it didn’t look like a hospital…someone else was there…a man. He tried to…” he clenches his fists and winces when the spines break his skin. “He tried to stop me. I ran.”

“What did this man look like?”

“I don’t remember…please…” he gives Kara a devastating look. “Please help me!”

Kara places her hand on the glass and nods. “I will. We will.”

“Can I…I can’t leave can I?”

“I’m sorry. You hurt someone…we can’t let you leave until we know you won’t hurt anyone else.”

He nods, understanding doesn’t make the situation suck any less.

Kara’s throat bobs as she swallows. He’s another victim, but she can’t let him out, not yet.

“Marc,” he mumbles.

“What?” Kara’s hand hovers over the panel.

“My name, Marc Caswell.”

Kara gives him a small grateful smile. “Thank you Marc.”

\--

“Okay, here we go Marc Caswell,” Winn says, typing the name and pulling up everything pertaining to him up on the screen. “See you could have told me he was human first…”

J’onn raises his eyebrows, not amused.

“Cause I was…looking for alien types and…never mind, we found him so yay team.” He does a shimmy in his chair. J’onn still has the same look on his face so Winn clears his throat and gets back to work. “Marc Caswell, is…deceased.”

“Deceased what do you mean deceased?” Kara asks, leaning closer to the screen.

“He was in an accident about a year ago,” Winn reads off the report. “And was declared to be in a Persistent Vegetative State and apparently died a week later. This was six months ago.”

“He is clearly alive and not in a vegetative state anymore,” Kara says. Her jaw clenches, realization dawning on her face. “And who do we know uses brain dead patients for science experiments?”

“Lord,” J’onn growls. His anger gets rerouted when Kara stalks off to the balcony windows. “Supergirl, wait! If Maxwell Lord is involved—“

“I don’t care!” Kara shoots him a glare before she takes off in the air.

\--

Kara flies up to Lord Industries, seeing Max sitting in his office chair at the top of the building. He already knows she’s here of course, with all his cameras and detection devices. She doesn’t wait for him to acknowledge her. Kara uses her heat vision, melting the glass in a rectangular shape and kicking it down for her to go through.

Max gently puts down his tablet and turns in his chair, giving Kara a thoroughly unimpressed look. “Supergirl, to what do I owe this trespass to?”

A team of security guards enter his office, guns drawn out and freeze at the sight of Supergirl. They look to Max for instructions and he just waves them off. “I’m fine, you can go now, I’m sure Supergirl has a very good explanation for destroying my window.”

His guards reluctantly tuck their weapons back in and leave them alone.

“Marc Caswell,” Kara says, crossing her arms over her chest and points her chin defiantly.

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“I don’t have time for your games Lord. What did you do to him?”

Max shakes his head, smiling in amusement. “What an accusation you throw—“

Kara, losing her patience, slams a fist into the wall.

“What did you do?” she asks again.

Max frowns, staring at the hole in his wall. It takes him only a second to connect the dots. “What happened to Alex?”

Kara’s jaw clenches. “Answer the question Lord.”

A beat. Max exhales deeply and folds his hands in front of him. “I’m afraid I don’t recall that name.”

Kara’s eyes glow slightly, watching him for any sign of deception.

“I swear,” he says, holding his hands up in a placating fashion. “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Alex.”

Kara straightens up, her eyes not losing any of its intensity. “I believe that you wouldn’t do it intentionally.” She spins on her heels, walking towards the broken glass.

“Supergirl…” Max swallows thickly.

She glances at him over her shoulder. “If you had any part in this…I’m coming for you.”

Kara uses more force than necessary to launch off, knocking Max out of his chair. He’ll need to renovate his floor along with the wall.

\--

“How is she?” Kara asks immediately after landing.

“No change,” Winn answers, speed-walking with her to the quarantine room.

J’onn spots her and excuses himself from his discussion with Vasquez. She forwards the data from her tablet to his and nods to Kara.

“Did Lord have anything to say?” J’onn asks, joining them.

“He says it wasn’t him,” Kara grinds out.

“And you believe him?” Winn asks, his brows furrowed, skeptical.

“He wasn’t showing any signs of lying.”

“There is a short list of people who can fake someone’s death and have access to alien DNA,” J’onn says, rubbing his chin.

“Wait, alien DNA? What do you mean?” Kara asks.

J’onn shows them his tablet, pointing out the list. “We finished her blood work, the team was taking so long because…well there’s a lot they had to compare.”

“Hellgramite, Valeronian, Almeracian, K'hund, Infernian, Roltikkon…” Kara reads out. Her jaw hangs open.

“Those are just the ones we have in our database.” J’onn pulls back the tablet.

“Okay well this is good right?” Winn gestures wildly. “So now we know what’s…going on right?”

“Unfortunately that is not the case,” Doctor Lin interrupts. She shuts the door behind her with a grim set to her face.

“Doctor, how is she?” Kara asks, looking over them to the windows, watching Alex sleep.

“I’m keeping her as stable as I can.” Doctor Lin shakes her head. “Whatever is happening to Doctor Danvers, I can’t stop it.”

“What do you mean you can’t stop it?” Kara narrows her eyes. “You’re a doctor, you’re supposed to fix this!”

“I’m a medical doctor, I fix humans,” Doctor Lin says calmly. “Anything that is remotely alien I always deferred to—“

“Alex,” Kara finishes for her. “Except Alex is…” She glances over at Alex, still in bed, still hooked up to machines and definitely not able to fix herself right now.

 “Her team is working on it,” J’onn says. “Your sister is brilliant, she’s the only scientist who’s had the most extensive research on alien physiology.”

“I know…” Kara furrows her eyebrows. Her face glows with an idea. “But she’s not the only one.”

“Kara?” Winn looks on helplessly as Kara starts sprinting away.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Who—“

“Eliza!” Kara blurs past everyone and swallows as she flies to Midvale. She doesn’t slow down even for a fraction of speed, even though she could’ve used the extra minutes to figure out a way to tell Eliza of Alex’s condition.

\--

Gathering around in Alex’s lab after Eliza calls for them, J’onn, Winn and Kara shuffle nervously, waiting for Eliza’s verdict.

“You were right to get me,” Eliza says. “A bit late,” she directs that at Kara and J’onn. They both look away guiltily. “But other than Alex, I do have the most experience with this.” She shakes her head. “Do we have an idea where he came from? What does he remember?”

“Not much,” Kara says, stepping forward. “He seems just as confused as we are.”

“I believe Cadmus is involved,” Eliza says.

“Cadmus?” J’onn prickles at the word.

“I’m sure everyone remembers Medusa, I found some trace amounts in Alex’s and Caswell’s blood.”

“But J’onn was in the mist too,” Kara says, looking at him with worry. “Is he…?”

“I’ve already checked, no trace. It’s very possible that the inert Medusa could have created an immune response.”

Kara brightens up. “That means you can make a vaccine right?”

“I’m afraid not Kara,” Eliza says, rubbing tiredly at her forehead. “The strand in them has mutated beyond that, I might be able to make one but it’s still mutating. I don’t have the means to make Medusa inert…it might not even work the same.”

“You don’t,” Kara mumbles. Her head snaps up, eyes gleaming with new determination. “Lena made it.”

“Well if we can get ahold of her methods—“

“Or we can just ask her.” Kara speeds over to the balcony, already launching away to L Corp before anyone else can tell her not to.

She lands in front of Lena’s windows, glad to see that Lena is in her office.

“Supergirl,” Lena says, smiling brightly. “What can—“

“I need your help,” Kara says in a hurry.

“Anything you need.” Lena’s smile morphs into a frown, seeing Supergirl so nervous and despondent.

\--

“So you think I’m involved?” Lena asks, arms crossed protectively over her chest. She tilts her chin up in defiance, staring J’onn down.

“You wouldn’t be here if we thought that Miss Luthor,” J’onn answers.

Kara smiles with pride at him and turns to Lena. “I trust you, we trust you.”

Lena’s muscles relax a fraction. She nods sharply and looks over at Eliza working with the new data Lena gave her.

“Doctor Danvers…” Lena mumbles. “Any relation to…?”

J’onn narrows his eyes and gives Kara a warning look.

“Never mind,” Lena says, dropping the inquiry. “If my mother is involved in the Town Hall incident, this is just a taste of what she’s got planned.”

Kara’s fists clench tightly, mind wandering back to Alex collapsing and bleeding. “We need to stop her before she hurts anyone else.”

“You have full L Corp cooperation and assistance,” Lena says. “So whatever she makes won’t infect more.”

J’onn nods respectfully. “Thank you Miss Luthor, we may just need it.”

Kara shifts closer to Lena, her brows pinched tightly. “Do you think you can…create an antidote or something?”

“Maybe, bio-engineering isn’t quite my specialty.” Lena turns to the computer with all of Alex’s blood sample analysis. “I’m just not sure what she was doing…this doesn’t look like something she’d do.”

“What do you mean?” Kara asks.

“All of this alien DNA mixed into one body? It’s the equivalent of throwing spaghetti against a wall and seeing what sticks, not very scientific.” Lena purses her lips. “Maybe if she were desperate…but unlikely.”

“Doctor Danvers is working on stabilizing the patient,” J’onn says, keeping Alex’s identity from Lena. “Miss Luthor, if you could create that vaccine…”

“What? She should help—“ Kara stops short, gritting her teeth and sucking in a harsh breath. “You’re right, we need to be prepared the next time she attacks.” Kara sends Lena a soft grateful smile. “Thank you.”

J’onn holds a hand to his earpiece with a deep frown. “He’s what—are you sure…send him in.” His face frowns in distaste. “Maxwell Lord is here, he says he has information.”

“Lena Luthor,” Max greets, opening his arms wide. “Well, I must say I’m not surprised Supergirl…invited you here.”

“What do you want Lord?” Kara glares at him.

“I’m here to help of course.”

“Lena is here to help,” Kara says.

“I come bearing the gift of knowledge.” He pulls out a small flash drive from his jacket pocket. “I went through some old contacts, dug a little bit with Marc Caswell, found others like him.”

J’onn takes the flash drive from him and gestures to them to follow him to the Control room. Winn spins around in his chair and sits up straight, seeing the entourage.

“Oh, uh…” Winn catches the flash drive when J’onn tosses it at him.

“Check it.”

“Only information is on there,” Max says, his hands turned up.

Winn does a quick check and nods, confirming it. He opens it up, sending the reports up on the big screens.

“Took a bit of digging, but as always, just follow the money. I see you might’ve beat me to it though,” Max points out. “Or is it just a coincidence you have a Luthor here?”

All the hospitals were given a donation under various charities and organizations connected to L Corp. Lena stares, jaw hanging open.

“I…that…” Lena fumbles. She turns to Kara, eyes wide and pleading. “I didn’t know…I don’t…”

“What is this?” Kara directs the question to Max.

“Alright, well looks as if L Corp might have something to do with those missing coma patients.” Max shrugs. He pauses dramatically, keeping his smile on as Kara glares harder at him. “I’m not saying Lena is responsible of course.”

Lena points to the names on the list. “These are…were run by my mother.”

Kara shoulders passed Max, rolling her eyes at his flair for misinterpretation. “Does she still have access?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but…I’ve kept most of her staff on.” Lena starts swiping through the personnel files.

“I’ve narrowed that down for you too,” Max says. He does a move over motion to Winn and clicks on the files. “Five workers that have been seen with the missing patients before they were declared dead.”

Kara scans through them, a few doctors and nurses. She squints. “Wait…that one. Peter Craft, I’ve seen him before.”

It’s the man who was filming Caswell when he was rampaging Downtown, the one she dropped right at Maggie’s feet.

“Nurse’s assistant,” Winn reads off. “Says he quit about six months ago…”

“Sir?” Vasquez says, hurrying towards them with a grim expression on her face. She throws a cautionary glance at Lena and Max.

“Go ahead,” J’onn says.

“Caswell just died.”

“What?” Kara frowns. “But I didn’t…did I …?” Kara swallows thickly.

“No, the wounds inflicted weren’t life threatening.” Vasquez shows them the security footage of the cell. Caswell, perfectly fine and sedated seizes up, yellow and red blood dripping from his body and the footage gets splotched over.

“What…?” Kara blinks.

“He exploded,” Vasquez says with a grimace.

Kara stares in horror at the repeating footage. Dread spreads throughout her body, numbing her at the thought that this is Alex’s fate.

 


	4. Act Three

 

Digging her nails into her forearms, Kara stands just outside of Alex’s room, watching over her. Her eyes track the labored movements of Alex’s chest, a sign she’s still alive and breathing. Her mind wanders back to the footage of Caswell’s ugly demise, staining the camera red with blood and gore. Kara imagines the window before her in that state. She violently shakes her head.

That’s not going to happen.

Kara nods politely at the technician entering the quarantine area, putting on protective gear just to get inside the room. She takes a half-step towards him, ready to get suited up to join him.

“Hey.”

Kara turns, her lips quivering, seeing a familiar face. “Lucy,” she says, her voice breaking. She clears her throat. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was here for a prisoner transfer,” Lucy says. She slides next to Kara, looking into the room at Alex with a deep frown. “Now it’s more like collecting samples for the lab.”

Kara winces. She really doesn’t need another reminder.

“Sorry.” Lucy leans against Kara’s side. “And I’m here to see you.”

“I’m fine,” Kara says.

“You really don’t look it.”

Kara doesn’t answer, choosing to look down at the floor instead while the technician draws more of Alex’s blood for Eliza, Lena, Lucy’s team and even Maxwell Lord. They need all the help they can get.

Her forehead thuds against the glass. Kara swallows thickly, tracing the outline of Alex’s face along the window.

“Kara…” Lucy squeezes her arm.

“I can’t do this without her,” Kara says and bites back a sob. “I need her Lucy. I need her so much.”

Kara takes that moment to just be herself, not be the rock that everyone comes to rely on. She can let herself break.

“I know.” Lucy slides her arm around Kara’s waist and comforts her as best she can.

“Oh sweetie.”

Kara looks over the top of Lucy’s head, seeing Eliza stretch out her arms and Kara collapses into them. Eliza murmurs words of comfort and brushes the back of Kara’s head. The first few times Kara had panic attacks, Eliza was the one to comfort her just like this. That duty soon transferred over to Alex, this time there is no Alex to take over. Kara isn’t sure how long she stands there with Eliza. She hiccups the last few sobs and stands back, rubbing at her eyes.

The hallway is conveniently devoid of any DEO agents. Kara mentally thanks Lucy for giving her privacy for her breakdown.

“Kara?” Eliza holds onto her bicep.

“I’m fine,” Kara says with an unconvincing smile. “Sorry I’m just…” Kara fiddles with the end of her skirt.

They both look through the window, watching Alex. Kara glances over at Eliza. She looks uncharacteristically nervous.

Eliza wrings her hands and smiles tightly. “Are…have…” Eliza shakes her head. “Have you two been happy?” Her face shines with a glimmer of hope.

“What?” Kara tilts her head to the side. She steps towards Eliza, sliding her hand against Eliza’s. “We are happy.” They share a watery smile.

“Good that’s good.” Eliza’s head drops. “That’s all I’ve wanted, for my girls to be happy.” Her breath shudders. “I’m glad. I thought…after…well.” Eliza shakes her head with a wry laugh. “I’m glad that you two still managed to find each other.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean find each other?”

Eliza licks her dry lips, holding firmly onto Kara’s hand like it’s her anchor. “Find happiness with each other. It’s okay Kara. I’ve known…I’ve always known.”

Kara’s hands tremble, she shakes her head. “Eliza I don’t know what you’re—“

“Kara…” Eliza squeezes. “I know.”

Kara suppresses the urge to yank her hand back, but her wide terrified eyes stare at Eliza’s understanding and patient face. “No. No, you have it wrong. That’s not--“ Kara takes a deep breath to center herself. “Alex doesn’t love me like that.”

Eliza lets her go and Kara stumbles back into the wall. “Kara—“

“I have to go.” Kara uses a burst of super speed to get to the balcony and takes off before Eliza could get another word in.

\---

“Is Detective Sawyer here?” Kara asks the officer at the front desk.

Officer Park fumbles with the clipboard in front of her. “I uh…”

Kara uses her x-ray vision and super hearing, finding Maggie’s office. “I have her, thank you Officer Park.”

Officer Park reaches out with a Visitor sticker for Kara and hastily drops her hand. There is no need for a Visitor sticker for Supergirl, but Kara smiles and takes it from her.

“Thank you,” Kara says, slapping it on her chest and walking off.

Maggie’s chewing on the end of her pen, her knee bouncing under her table as she finishes the paperwork to the bank robbery. She’s so engrossed she doesn’t hear the abnormal hush fall into the bullpen until Kara stands in front of her table.

“Detective Sawyer,” Kara says, hands on her waist. “I need your help.”

“Uhhh…” Maggie glances over at her Captain in her office who’s making shooing motions at her. Paperwork will have to wait. “Of course Supergirl, what do you need?”

Kara pulls out her phone from a hidden pocket in her boot and shows Maggie the picture of the man in the dark red scrubs. “Do you remember him? He was at the attack this morning.”

Maggie nods and digs through her files. “Yea, we interviewed all the witnesses there, haven’t put it in the computer yet.”

Kara nods, it’s why Winn couldn’t find anything and she has to come here in person. “Did he leave a number or address?”

“Maybe,” Maggie says, her head tilting to the side. “Why the interest?”

“I need to find him Detective.”

“Then I’m coming with you.”

Keeping the folder just out of reach, Maggie doesn’t hand it over until Kara grumbles and nods. Kara texts J’onn the information, keeping him in the loop. Her phone rings immediately.

It’s J’onn.

“ _Supergirl, don’t—“_

“Can’t hear you,” Kara whispers into her phone. She flashes a smile at the officers looking on with levels of incredulity, ranging from amused to outright shock. “You’re –Crrckkk- breaking up.”

“ _You need back up, don’t go in alone!”_

Kara stands tall and gives Maggie a brilliant smile. “Don’t worry, I have back up.” She hangs up and slides the phone back inside her boot.

Maggie’s already up, putting on her jacket and fluffing her hair out from the collar. She pins Kara with a look and starts walking. “Keep up Supergirl.”

Huffing, Kara speed walks to Maggie, making sure to create some extra wind so Maggie’s hair whips across her face. Maggie blows out a few strands from her eyes and shakes her head at Kara’s childish antics, the smile she shoots at Kara lets her know that Maggie isn’t annoyed at all.

\---

“Mr. Craft?” Maggie raps her knuckles against the door again.

Kara stands awkwardly next to Maggie, looking around, glad that Craft lives in a rather lonely apartment building. No one else is here to gawk at her. Maggie knocks again and raises her voice, no response. Kara squints, using her x-ray vision, watching Craft hide behind a chair.

“He’s inside, hiding,” Kara says.

“I don’t have a warrant,” Maggie says.

“I don’t need one.” Kara twists the door knob, breaking it off and storming inside.

“Well, now I have cause, someone just broke in,” Maggie mumbles.

Craft squeaks, trying to outrun Supergirl. He knocks right into her instead and scrambles the other way, straight into Maggie. Maggie grabs him by the back of his shirt and shoves him into the chair he’d been hiding behind.

Kara stands in her full Supergirl glory, hands on her hips while Maggie crosses her arms over her chest with a stern raise of her eyebrows.

Craft instantly breaks.

“I didn’t mean to!” he cowers behind his hands.

“Didn’t mean to what?” Maggie asks.

He squeaks again.

“Better answer her question,” Kara says, remembering the dynamic duos from all her Netflix binging.

Maggie bites the inside of her cheek, trying to keep the smirk contained at the obvious role Kara’s playing. She clears her throat, sliding her hands across her belt and pushing her jacket aside to reveal her badge and gun.

Craft swallows nervously. “They made me do it!”

“Do what?” Maggie presses.

He glances at Kara but all she does is flex her muscles, letting her eyes glow just the tiny bit red. Kara totally forgets she’s supposed to be the good cop.

“Okay okay!” he shrinks in the chair even more and mumbles, “Job sucked anyways.”

Kara straightens up, her eyes clearing and a look of triumph across her face.

“Alright Craft, what’ve you got for us?” Maggie flips open her notepad.

“I…that guy…is he…?” Craft’s fingers twitch against his palms.

“What can you tell us about him?” Kara asks.

“I was just supposed to watch him. I’m…I worked at a hospital, nurse’s assistant. Paid like shit and the doctors were such assholes. So I went looking for a new job, hours were shit but no stupid charge nurses breathing down your neck.”

“What was this new job?” Maggie taps the pen against the notepad.

“Just watch them. That’s all I had to do. Take some notes sometimes.” Craft scratches at his forearm, sweat dripping down his forehead. “He wasn’t supposed to wake up. None of ‘em were supposed to wake up.”

“Who woke up?”

“That…that thing…” Craft whispers.

“That thing?” Kara clenches her teeth.

“Number 11.”

Kara’s head snaps up. “How many people were there?”

“Fifteen.” Craft rocks back and forth. “He just woke up…he wasn’t supposed to wake up.”

“And you went after him?” Maggie asks.

Craft nods sharply. “Couldn’t let him go…I…I called him and they told me to just film it…film what happened.”

“You still got that number?”

He slides his phone out from his pocket, one of those burner flip phones, shows Maggie the number and hands her the phone.

“Who did you call?” Maggie asks. She tries to call using the phone but all she gets is a recording telling her the number is no longer in service. She shakes her head at Kara’s inquisitive stare.

“Danvers.”

Maggie and Kara both freeze, staring at him.

“Danvers? Danvers who?” Maggie asks, regaining her composure first.

“Jeremiah, Jeremiah Danvers.”

“What did Jeremiah do?” Kara asks, voice soft, trembling.

“Inject them with stuff. I don’t know what it was.”

Kara’s mind fuzzes out while Maggie continues to interrogate Craft.

Jeremiah is working for Cadmus.

\---

Kara activates her comms while Maggie hauls Craft into the back of her car.

“Winn?” Kara speaks first

“ _Supergirl, what’s—“_

“I need a secure line to J’onn.”

_“Uh…okay…? One sec.”_

Her teeth grinds as her mind whirls with the knowledge Jeremiah is somehow involved. She hopes it means their chance of saving Alex is higher now.

_“Supergirl?”_ J’onn’s staticky and muffled voice goes through.

“No one else is listening right?”

_“Just you and me.”_

“We…” Kara takes a breath, steeling herself. “We have the location of the lab.”

_“That’s good news, we’ll send in a team—“_

“That’s not all. Craft says, he says Jeremiah is running the experiments with Cadmus.”

As expected, there’s a long silence on the line.

“ _Is he telling the truth?”_

“From what I can see, yes, but I was…can you check?”

_“Bring him in Kara, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”_

Kara ends the call. Her face tilts up, looking up into the darkening sky.

“Hey, so what’s up?” Maggie asks, appearing at Kara’s elbow.

“Can you take him to the DEO?” Kara asks. “J’onn needs to…verify if he’s telling the truth.”

“Mind-reading huh? Alright fine, but what about the lab? I can have my team meet you—“

“Maggie, I’m not saying the NCPD isn’t equipped for this—“

“It kind of sounds like you are,” Maggie interrupts.

“I don’t know who to trust anymore,” Kara admits. She casts a sincere look at Maggie’s eyes. “I trust you Maggie but…I can’t even get the DEO into this. Could you…please I need to get him there safely.”

“I’m not leaving you alone without back up to go to a Cadmus lab. They have weapons designed to hurt you.” Maggie shakes her head. “Alex wouldn’t let you go in alone.”

“She’s not here right now!” Kara hisses. She immediately recoils, offering Maggie an apologetic look which Maggie waves off.

“I know. And right now I’m your back up.”

“Maggie—“

Maggie’s putting her keys on top of the passenger side tire. “Get Winn or James to get him back there.”

Kara concedes with an exaggerated sign. She gets on a safe channel again, telling Winn what to do and hangs up before he can protest. She’ll owe him a pizza later.

“Ready?” Kara asks.

“Yea…WHOA!”

Kara’s face scrunches up, trying not to smile too widely at Maggie’s shriek when they shoot off into the sky together.

\---

Some of the walls are lined with lead. If that doesn’t cue Kara into the fact that Cadmus is expecting her, well the rigged explosive that nearly takes her out does.

Good thing for Maggie’s instincts.

“Bomb!” Maggie screams and yanks on Kara’s hand. Kara speeds them behind a dumpster, feeling the vibrations of the bomb. Luckily there’s no trace of kryptonite. Guess that’s meant to take out the DEO.

“Thanks,” Kara says, brushing off the debris.

“You couldn’t see it?” Maggie asks, coughing into her elbow.

“Lead doors.”

“Great.”

Kara listens in for any more disturbances. Good thing they’re in the more abandoned part of town, no one to report the bomb which means no cops interfering.

It seems the bomb at the door is more of a last ditch effort, there’s no more booby traps and the place is already scrubbed clean.

“Damn it,” Maggie curses, finding another empty room. “Got anything?”

Kara shakes her head.

They’re too late.

No more comatose patients to rescue. No Jeremiah. No way to help Alex.

Kara’s fists curl and thump against the wall.

\---

“Hey,” Kara says, steering J’onn away from the hustle and bustle of the control room to a secluded corner. “Was he telling the truth?”

J’onn nods sharply.

“Okay…okay.” She places her hands on her hips, gathering strength. “Where does that leave us? If Jeremiah’s involved… I don’t understand. He seemed like himself when he helped us escape.” Kara’s power pose falters. She hugs herself close, wishing it were Alex holding her instead. “They have to be threatening him, right?”

J’onn guiltily looks off just the side of her face. “From his memories, it does appear that Jeremiah may be doing this voluntarily.”

“He’s been their prisoner for over a decade,” Kara hisses. “I don’t think anything he does now qualify as voluntary.”

“I know that Kara.” J’onn tiredly rubs his forehead. “But right now Jeremiah created a bio-weapon that we have no defense against…and Alex…”

Kara swallows thickly. Jeremiah might have had a hand in hurting Alex. She shakes her head to clear that thought. “Have you told Eliza?”

“It might be better if you told her.”

“No it won’t.”

Kara’s right. Eliza does not take it any better even if it comes from her.

“Eliza,” Kara says.

“No.” Eliza squeezes her eyes shut, putting her hands up in a physical attempt to stop the intrusive conversation. “You’re telling me that my husband, Alex’s own father, that he did this to our child, to my…” Eliza’s voice cracks.

J’onn shuffles uncomfortably beside Kara. “This is a lot to take in—“

“Don’t.” Eliza grits her teeth, her eyes full of fury and pain. She sucks in a breath, taking a moment to calm down. Her head whips to the side and she rushes over to the computer. “It can’t…no.”

“What?” Kara asks, sliding in next to Eliza and watching her rapidly sequence genetic markers in Alex’s and Caswell’s blood. Whatever it is that Eliza finds makes her stumble back and J’onn catches her before she can fall.

“I didn’t think…” Eliza takes in a shuddered breath. “I thought the Medusa virus was the cause of the rapid cellular growth.”

“If it’s not Medusa then what is it?” J’onn asks gently.

“Me…” Eliza says, her face stricken.

Kara frowns deeply. “What?”

“Jeremiah. We… We worked with so much alien DNA, to see if we could use any of their regenerative properties.”

“You were experimenting on aliens?” Kara asks, shell-shocked.

“No!” Eliza quickly denies. “No we would never. No. We sequenced their DNA, had samples, we were…we were hoping…to see how compatible our DNA could be.”

J’onn holds onto Kara’s shoulder. “It’s not unlike using lizards to see if humans can regrow limbs.”

“Yes, like that,” Eliza says, grateful for J’onn’s interruption.

“Okay, so not evil scientists, check,” Kara says, injecting it with forced humor. “What does that have to do with now?”

“If Jeremiah…” Eliza pauses and amends her statement. “Jeremiah’s involvement with…he did it. He successfully bonded human and alien DNA.”

“Oh…” Kara frowns. “So that’s what Cadmus wants? But…that seems odd. They hate aliens, why would they ever want to do that?”

“I don’t think they want to turn into aliens. I think they wanted to engineer people who can have characteristics of alien powers without being alien. That’s where Medusa comes in, it’s attacking all the alien cells, but since they’re bonding…”

“It’s killing everything,” Kara finishes Eliza’s thoughts. “But that means you can change Alex back, unbond whatever it is. Lillian’s modified Medusa doesn’t work on humans.”

“That’s not how it works.” Eliza’s hands tremble at her sides. “What we made…it was never meant to rewrite everything…just…just enough to save someone. But Alex… I can’t save Alex…I…it’s only a matter of time”

Kara stares helplessly at the model on the screen, watching the 3-D DNA structure of Alex change, morphing into something that looks unfamiliar, alien, not the double-helix she’d seen in her textbooks. The progress bar reads at just over half. Just next to Alex’s model is Caswell’s, at 88% before he died.


	5. Act Four

 

Alex is too still, medicated beyond a simple medically induced coma. Kara takes Alex’s hand, gritting her teeth. She can’t feel the warmth of Alex’s skin, not through the protective suit she’d been forced to wear. Alex’s clammy hand slips off the rubber of Kara’s gloves. She can’t even hold Alex’s hand properly anymore.

The door whooshes open and Kara’s head whips around, seeing Eliza wade through in her clunky suit. Kara’s throat tightens, watching Eliza sit down across from her.

“Did you find something?” Kara hates the hopeful tremble in her voice.

Eliza shakes her head. “Not yet.”

Kara nods. Just like herself, Eliza needs some time with Alex. They need Alex’s strength.

“Why haven’t you told her?” Eliza asks after a brief silence.

“Told her what?” Kara asks innocently, playing dumb.

Even through the helmet, Kara can see Eliza’s unamused look. “That you’re in love.”

Kara ducks her head, not able to meet Eliza’s eyes. “I don’t know what you’re—“

“Kara. It’s okay.” Eliza reaches over, patting Kara’s hand that’s still holding onto Alex’s. “I told you, I’ve known how you felt, how Alex feels the same.”

Kara shakes her head. “You have it wrong Eliza. She’s my sister.”

“That’s my fault,” Eliza admits, sagging in her seat. “I…thought it was for the best. I shouldn’t have…I kept telling Alex you were her sister, insisted. I thought…well it doesn’t matter anymore.” Eliza chuckles darkly.

Kara bites her lip, unsure of what to say. Eliza isn’t going any further, she just rubs Alex’s wrist and stares at Alex’s face.

“You should tell her,” Eliza says abruptly. “Alex is so brave, so strong, but when it comes to the matters of the heart, when it comes to her own feelings… she never puts herself first.”

“Eliza,” Kara says gently. “I told you, it’s not what you think.”

“You always looked at Alex like she was the entire world,” Eliza says, ignoring Kara’s denial. “She looks at you the same way.”

Kara’s grip tightens on Alex’s wrist, feeling the drumming of her own heart over Alex’s weak heartbeat. It’s not the same. Alex isn’t just her world, she’s her everything.

“Nobody else ever came into your orbits, I…I was worried. You two were too dependent, too reliant on each other.”

“We always take care of each other,” Kara says. It’s true, after Alex’s short jerk-phase, it’s just something they did.

“I know sweetie, I know.” Eliza sighs fondly. “I knew then. I…I didn’t want you two to get hurt…I thought that maybe it would go away…have hurt just a little rather than…” Eliza’s voice cracks, looking at Alex, still unmoving. “I didn’t want Alex to get hurt…when you…How could you be hurt if you never experience being together?”

 “Hurt Alex? I…I would never hurt Alex.” Kara sits heavily in her chair, a deep frown set on her face.

“Not physically, no. Your heart is so big Kara. I know you wouldn’t but Alex…Alex would blame herself for holding you back…for being human.”

Kara’s as confused as ever. Eliza isn’t making any sense. Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation from working on how to save Alex. Kara stands up, ready to usher Eliza out and to the temporary resting area in Alex’s office.

“You wouldn’t age, not for centuries…and Alex will grow old.”

Kara stutters to a stop, halfway around the bed. “Are you saying I would be so shallow? No matter how Alex is physically I will always love her.”

“That’s not what I’m saying Kara. She would feel like a burden to you.” Eliza fiddles awkwardly with the tubes running into Alex’s veins. “Her body will weaken, her mind will slow and you will still be the same as you are now. A few decades are just a blip.”

“That’s why you pushed me towards Mon-El,” Kara says.

“He’s the most genetically similar to you,” Eliza rushes to explain.

“What, so because he’s practically the last man in the world, I should be with him?”. Kara scoffs and paces around the bed, barely concealing her annoyance. “And if he wasn’t around? Would you have encouraged me to be with Clark? We’re not pandas Eliza.”

“I wanted you to be able to have a family.”

“Family is more than blood,” Kara says. “You taught me that.”

“Don’t you get it Kara?” Eliza’s voice raises. Kara’s head snaps up, rarely hearing this tone directed at her. “Your human family is going to die. You will outlive us for centuries.” Eliza’s whole body sags, head ducking, the helmet obscuring her face. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”

Kara reaches out, pressing her hand against Eliza’s shoulder. “Eliza—“

“Doctor Danveres?” the speaker box at the entrance of the room crackles. “The containment cell is ready for transfer.”

“Yes, thank you,” Eliza says, nodding. “Give us a moment please.”

The tech turns back and out of the other room.

“Containment cell? Why?” Kara asks.

“When the cells become too active, the containment cell is necessary to minimize the chance of spreading.” Eliza presses her hand against the helmet, unable to wipe the tears on her cheeks. “And if necessary, stop it.”

“You can’t…” Kara says, her voice small. “You’re giving up on Alex…you can’t do that.”

“Kara…” Eliza tries to take a hold of Kara’s hands but Kara violently swings them away. “I don’t want to see my daughter as a smear in a room.”

“What? She’s not going to…what are you saying?”

Eliza holds onto herself, looking to the ground. “We’re preparing…”

“You’re going to kill her.”

“That’s not—“

“No.” Kara slams her hand on the button to open the doors, almost cracking it. She strips off the suit as soon as the bleach solution stops raining down on her.

Her palms shake on the console to the entrance of her mother’s AI room.

“Hello Kara,” Alura greets, her hologram smiling at nothing in particular.

Kara’s arms cross and uncross, nervous energy making her body in constant motion. Her thoughts run against each other, coming up with solutions and discarding them just as fast. She needs more information.

“Kryptonians have settled on earth before,” Kara says more than asks.

“That is correct, over ten thousand years—“

“And in that time, were there any human-Kryptonian hybrids? I mean, have there…how did we…were we able to lend our powers to humans?”

“I am afraid I cannot answer that.”

Kara yanks at her hair, pacing back and forth, glaring at her mother’s passive face. “Why not?”

“The High Council—“

“Is dead! They’re gone, wiped off this universe because of their self-imposed rules that benefited no one but themselves.” Kara takes a deep breath, calming herself. “Were there any human-Kryptonian hybrids?”

“That information is not allowed to be discussed under—“

Kara’s eyes glow, rage overtaking her. “I am Kara Zor-El, the surviving member of the House of El. I am the last daughter of Krypton. I am the highest authority that’s left and you will tell me how to save Alex!”

She stares down the hologram, waiting for another warning.

“There have been records of human-Kryptonian hybrids, but only under the most stringent of circumstances.”

Kara smiles, body straightening back up as hope surges in her chest. “Were they born or created?”

“Both.”

“Is it possible to change a human to Kryptonian?” Kara waits, her breath hanging in her throat.

“Yes.”

\---

Kara makes a beeline towards Winn, leaning over his chair and whispering, “I need your help.”

“Yea of course, anything.” Winn gives her his full attention.

“You can’t tell J’onn.”

“Oh no no no, that I cannot do.” Winn turns back to his computer, avoiding Kara’s puppy dog eyes. “He can literally read minds.”

“Winn, I need your help to save Alex.”

Winn stops typing and exhales slowly. “You found a way? Does Eliza—“

“Winn, it’s not…the less you know the better.”

“J’onn is going to kill me isn’t he?”

“Of course not,” Kara says, her face scrunched up.  “He doesn’t kill.”

“That is so not comforting. Fine. What do you need?”

Kara hands him a piece of paper with her handwritten notes. “I need you to find places that have these signals, anywhere that’s close to our galaxy.”

“Wait galaxy? How far do you—“

“And I’m going to need you to make a distraction.” Kara’s expression shows nothing but determination.

Winn swallows thickly, already regretting the choices he’s made in this life that’s put him in Kara Danvers’s path.

\---

_It is not a ritual to be taken likely._

Alura’s words echo in Kara’s head as she walks to the containment cell Alex has been transferred to. Kara’s fingers twist around the key to Alura’s AI in her hand, her thumb running along her family crest. She unclasps her necklace and threads it through, keeping it safe with her.

Alex’s vitals are monitored digitally. Kara closes her eyes, hearing the heartbeats of all the people she cares about in the DEO.

Eliza’s erratic heartbeats tug at her first. She’s walking back and forth between computers, mumbling about other theories to save Alex. Kara smiles. Eliza hasn’t given up yet.

Winn’s racing heartbeat closes in on J’onn’s steady one.

She waits for Winn to begin.

\---

 “Hey J’onn,” Winn says, a slight tremble to his voice. He blasts out some old school Barenaked Ladies music in his head, damn Alex for making him listen to it. “There’s something wrong with the reactor.”

“Reactor?” J’onn takes ahold of his tablet and frowns at all the red flashing. “What…why is it…”

“Yea, maybe someone knocked into it or something but—“

The alarms start blaring and the rest of the DEO agents go into their assigned protocols.

“Great,” J’onn mutters. “Okay what do we do to—“

“I’m going to need go into the reactor room…” Winn says, still running the lyrics of ‘One Week’ in his head. “But there’s radiation and well…no time to get suited up. I need your help J’onn.”

J’onn narrows his eyes but another alarm trips and he nods.

“Okay, let’s go.”

\---

It’s time.

Kara opens the room Alex’s cell is in. Her hands shake, touching the glass cylinder housing Alex’s body. She checks to make sure no one is around and rips open the top of the seal. More alarms blare in the room, but it’s drowned out by the alarms Winn rigged.

She pulls out the wires and yanks off the electrodes, ignoring the screeching the machines make, no doubt alarming Eliza and J’onn. Kara gathers blankets around Alex’s naked form, wrapping her tightly. She slips her arms under Alex’s body, carrying her out of the room, mindful of Alex’s lulling head and arms.

The DEO agents stare anxiously at Kara taking Alex out of there, looking towards each other, unsure what to do.

 “What are you doing?” Eliza asks, eyes wide in horror, watching her daughters from the top of the stairs.

“Saving her,” Kara says before speeding past the agents to her balcony and taking off into the sky.

\---  

“Supergirl?” Lucy stares, slack jawed while Kara lands in her base with Alex in her arms. In her ear, she gets a warning beep before J’onn starts speaking to her. She’s barely paying attention to him. “What are you doing?”

Kara looks at the earpiece, glaring at it until Lucy tugs it off her ear and signals to the other agents to stand down. Their hands move away from their holsters, but they stay on high alert.

“J’onn says we need to stop you,” Lucy says. “Do I need to do that Supergirl?”

“Lucy, please.” Kara hugs Alex closer to her. “I need to save her.”

Lucy grits her teeth, trying to remain unaffected by Kara’s watery pleading eyes. She huffs out a breath. “Okay,” Lucy says.

Kara nods resolutely and steps back with Alex.

“Supergirl? You better come back.”

Kara doesn’t respond, unwilling to lie to Lucy. She speeds into the basement, finding Mon-El’s pod since hers was destroyed when Alex saved her. Now it’s her turn to save Alex.

Kara gently settles Alex into the pod, holding her close as she takes control and sets the coordinates to an ancient Kryptonian outpost. She hopes she’s chosen the right one. The ship flies just as swift as her own, Kryptonian technology. Kara has half a mind to ask Mon-El how he procured a Kryptonian pod on Daxam. She shakes her head. One thing at a time.

Alex’s head lulls against her shoulder and Kara cups Alex’s cheek, holding her closer. The medication still hasn’t worn off, a blessing or else Alex would be in pain. Kara closes her eyes, feeling the last rays of the yellow sun on her face before the pod goes into light speed, taking her far away from the solar system she’s called home for thirteen years. Alex’s back pushes against her chest with every breath she takes. No. Home is with Alex.

The journey to the outpost doesn’t take long, she sees the remains of the old Kryptonian scout ship on the moon of a barren planet, long since died out. The large ship opens up, welcoming her.

She uses the pod to scan for life forms, none living. Atmosphere intact.

Kara pushes up the opening of the pod, her lungs filling with stale air. She coughs, sliding out of the pod first and falling to the ground.

“Shit,” Kara moans, feeling her muscles protest at the gravity weighing against her. It takes her a few seconds to assimilate. She stands up weakly and squints, trying to use her X-ray vision to see.

She can’t.

“Hello?” Kara says, her voice echoing. A faint movement in the corner of her eye makes Kara turn, she tries to give off a warning with her heat vision, except her eyes do nothing but strain. She tentatively steps towards it, the platform lighting up. Kara’s hand brushes the old computer console only seen in museums in Argo City.

She takes off her necklace, finding the key to Alura’s AI and places it in the slot.

Nothing happens.

Kara spins around at a mechanical sound.

 _“Name and designation_ ,” says a Kelex robot in her native Kryptonian.

Kara’s tongue feels glued to the roof of her mouth. “ _Kara Zor-El_.” She pauses at designation. _“Last daughter of Krypton.”_

 _“No record of Kara Zor-El in the House of El. No record of Zor-El in the House of El. No record of the House of El.”_ Kelex’s eyes glow red.

She ducks the laser beam and rolls out of the way. Kelex’s arms come out in cables, binding her limbs and yanking her closer.

_“Intruders will be eliminated.”_

“ _I am Kara Zor-El!”_ Kara tries again.

_“Invalid.”_

“Oh come on!” Kara curses and kicks at the ancient robot. The cables suddenly unwind and Kelex gets yanked backwards away.

Kara scrambles back, squinting to see.

 _“Name and designation,”_ Kelex says.

“Alex fucking Danvers,” Alex hisses out. She stares menacingly at Kelex, her chest heaving at the exertion.

“Alex!” Kara takes a step towards them but Kelex’s eyes glow at her again.

_“Unknown language, attempting to translate. Failure to translate. Name and designation.”_

With the focus on Alex, Kara runs to the console and slams her palms on the key. The ship goes dark and Kelex sags in the air. A second later it reboots and the whole ship powers on.

“Hello Kara,” Alura’s hologram appears beside Kara. “I am reprogramming the ship and updating its database. You are in command.”

“Kara Zor-El, designation, last daughter of Krypton,” Kelex says in English now. It looks to Alex, giving her a brief scan. “Alexandra Danvers. Human, incorrect. Hellgramite. Incorrect. Rol—“

“Stop,” Kara commands.

Alex looks around, fevered eyes taking in the unfamiliar atmosphere. She crosses her arms over her chest. “What the fuck?”

“It’s okay.” Kara runs to her and crouches. She unclips her cape and uses it to cover Alex’s naked body.

“Where are we?” Alex takes in a labored breath, her eyes blinking rapidly. “What—“ She coughs violently, blood leaking out her nose.

“No no no!” Kara runs her hands all over Alex’s face. She needs more time. She’s so close. “No!”

“Kara Zor-El. Your companion—“

Kara barely hears Kelex, holding Alex’s writhing body close to her and muttering no over and over again.

“Kara Zor-El—“ Kelex tilts its head, deeming Kara Zor-El is not in any state to make executive decisions. It makes one for her. Kelex retrieves a collar and places it around Alex’s neck.

Kara glares at it. “What are you –“

The collar expands, covering Alex’s head and immediately Alex starts breathing regularly again. Kara relaxes. Alex isn’t dying. Yet.

“Your companion cannot survive in this atmosphere without the proper apparatus,” Kelex points out. “This ship mimics the atmosphere of Krypton.”

Kara nods. Of course. That’s why she doesn’t have powers and why she feels so…normal.

“Kara?” Alex reaches out weakly to touch Kara’s cheek. Her hand drops to the transparent covering over her face. “What’s going on?”

“Rao Alex…” Kara’s breath hitches in a sob. She presses her forehead against Alex’s. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“How about we start with…why the hell am I naked and where the hell are we?”

Kara chews on her lip and looks all around Alex instead of her accusing eyes. “W-well, you’re naked cause…you didn’t have clothes on. We’re on…a ship?”

“Yea okay.” Alex rolls her eyes affectionately. “Why are we here?”

“I…” Kara swallows thickly. “We’re here to save you. You’re…you’re dying.”

“Oh…” Alex looks around as much as she can with Kara holding her in a vice grip. “So we’re on an ancient Kryptonian space ship huh?”

Kara chuckles weakly. “Yea, we are.”

“And I’m dying.”

“Not for long.”

“Kara…” Alex squeezes Kara’s hand. “It’s okay.”

“I’m not ready. Please Alex. I’m not ready to live without you.”

“Death doesn’t wait for you to be ready,” Alex says, tucking a piece of hair behind Kara’s ear.

“I don’t care!”

Kara’s voice echoes down the chamber. She stares defiantly at Alex’s shocked face but crumbles at the reality. “Please…let me save you. Please.”

Alex can never say no to Kara, not even when she knows it’s her time to die. “Okay…okay.”

 

Kara walks carefully into the pit of fluid, holding Alex securely in her arms. Kelex hovers over them, waiting for instructions.

“What is this?” Alex asks, holding her arm up at the sticky fluid clinging to her arm.

“You are in the Genesis Chamber, Alexandra Danvers,” Kelex says.

“Genesis chamber…” Alex frowns. “Is this amniotic fluid?” She rubs it between her fingers, eyes sparkling at the implications of an open amniotic fluid chamber. Her brows knit together in a frown. “Wait…you’re not making babies with me are you?” Alex playfully slaps Kara’s chest, her hand trailing the fluid around them.

“What?” Kara blushes. “No! Not…I mean. No, that’s not what we’re doing…right now.”

“Yea this seems like a less fun version.”

“Alex!”

“Sorry.” Alex purses her lips.

Kara grabs the knife from Kelex, holding her palm up and signaling for Alex to do the same.

“Kara Zor-El, this ritual is—“

“I am your commander Kelex,” Kara says, not looking at him, her eyes entirely focused on Alex. “The High Council is no more and you will heed my command.”

“Yes, Kara Zor-El.”

“This is going to hurt,” Kara says, pushing the knife into Alex’s palm.

“I’ve been knifed before.”

“Not with this.” Kara links their fingers together, the knife in between their palms. “Ready?”

Alex nods and Kara yanks the knife down, slicing both their palms open and she grips onto Alex’s hand, pushing their cuts together.

“Fuck!” Alex screams, trying to yank her hand away.

Kara drops the knife, Kelex fishing it out before it can submerge. While Alex thrashes around, Kara’s face pales as the pain registers, but she holds strong.

“Don’t wake me until Alex wakes up,” Kara says.

“Kara?” Alex asks, her eyes hazy but still coherent enough to register Kara’s words. “What?”

“And if your companion does not wake?” Kelex asks.

“Then let me rest.”

Kelex bows its head to Kara’s commands.

Kara pulls Alex’s head towards her with her free hand, pressing their foreheads together. She drifts off to the middle of the chamber, Alex barely keeping consciousness.

“I love you,” Kara whispers, kissing the corner of Alex’s mouth.

Kara lets her muscles relax. They sink into the fluid, Kelex watching over until the surface no longer ripples. The last daughter of Krypton has given it a new purpose. Kelex will wait until Alexandra Danvers wakes up.

\---

Kelex powers up from resting state, sensing an intrusion in the ship.

“Name and designation,” Kelex says, zooming over to the intruder.

“J’onn J’onzz, the last son of Mars.”

Kelex bows its head slightly. “Welcome J’onn J’onzz, friend of Kara Zor-El.”

J’onn, in his full Martian glory, bows respectively back. “Where is Kara?”

“Unavailable.”

J’onn’s jaw ticks, looking around him for any sign of his girls. “And Alexandra Danvers?”

“With Kara Zor-El.”

J’onn huffs at the circular answers. He will have to find them himself. As J’onn peeks into every corner of the gigantic ship, Kelex suddenly floats ramrod straight.

“I am sorry J’onn J’onzz, I am needed in the Genesis Chamber.” Kelex zips off, J’onn barely keeping up with its speed.

He slows to a stop, seeing the giant dimly light chamber. Kelex hovers over the middle of the pool, waiting. The surface ripples and a hand juts out, Kelex grabbing on and lifting.

It’s Kara.

J’onn hurries to the side as Kelex deposits Kara next to him and floats back to the middle.

“Kara!” J’onn hugs her hard.

“Ow, okay too hard,” Kara says, out of breath.

He’s ready to let loose a whole speech reprimanding her, but a gasp takes both their attention away. Kelex lifts Alex out of the fluid and places her gently next to Kara.

Alex coughs up the fluid in her lungs and collapses on the ground, breathing hard.

“You did it,” J’onn says in awe.

Kelex fetches the red cape from deep inside the pool and lays it over Alex’s naked body.

“Kelex, do a scan on Alex,” Kara commands.

It dutifully lets out a beam, scanning Alex while Kara holds onto her hand.

“Alexandra Danvers. Designation, human.”

Kara’s brows crinkle. “Run it again.”

Kelex  does it again. “Alexandra Danvers. Designation, human.”

“There’s nothing else?” Kara asks, voice cracking.

“No.”

“Oh…” Kara smooths her thumbs over Alex’s face. She lets the disappointment fade, seeing Alex alive.

As long as Alex is alive, nothing else matters.


	6. Tag

Eliza holds onto her girls, squeezing extra hard to show her love.

“Wow, even I felt that,” Kara says after Eliza releases them from her tight hug.

Eliza tugs Alex close again and puts everything she has into the hug. Hearing Alex’s bone creak under the pressure, Kara smiles widely at her family. Intact, still together.

“You’ll be fine?” Eliza asks, holding Alex at arm’s length, waiting for Alex to say she needs her so she can stay.

“I’m fine mom,” Alex says. “You have to go back now, it’s been weeks.”

“I don’t _have_ to go back.”

“Mom.”

“Okay okay,” Eliza says with a chuckle. “No more dear old mom here to cramp your style.”

Alex and Kara groan but otherwise they still keep their upbeat giddiness.

“Kara, a word please,” Eliza says.

“Uh oh,” Alex sing songs. “This I can get used to.” She skips off when Kara swats at her. Alex stands by the open windows, eyes closed, soaking in the rays of the sun. She’s always been naturally pale, but after being confined in the genesis chamber and under the DEO labs for weeks, she needs to go sun bathing. Maybe Kara will take her on a vacation on an island, where no one can bother them and Alex can surf to her hearts content.

“Thank you,” Eliza says, clasping Kara’s hands in her own. “Thank you for saving her.”

Kara nods, unable to say anything else. She would always save Alex, no matter what.

Eliza glances over at Alex’s back and tilts her head. “Have you told her?”

“Eliza, not this again,” Kara says with a sigh. Looking over her shoulder to check that Alex is not listening in, Kara lowers her voice. “You were right.”

“Yes, you should—“

“Before. You were right, before. If we…if I told her we would only have decades of happiness, if that.” Kara wraps her arms around herself, rocking back and forth and braving a smile. “This way…she can find someone to love.”

“Kara…” Eliza rubs her shoulder. “Don’t do this.”

“I can’t do that to her.” Kara shakes her head.

Before Eliza can say another rebuttal, Alex slides into the conversation.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Alex asks, stepping towards Kara and swinging an arm over Kara’s shoulder. She shoots an accusing look at Eliza. “Mom?”

“It’s nothing,” Kara says, her lips curling into a forced smile. “I’m just…I’m so glad you’re here.”

Alex pulls Kara into a hug, stroking her back. “I’m right here.”

“I know.” Kara basks in Alex’s embrace for a moment, opening her eyes to see Eliza’s guilty look. Kara adopts a bright demeanor and bounces on her toes. “Okay, Eliza you’re going to miss your flight.”

After Eliza leaves, Alex collapses on the couch, closing her eyes. “I love mom but three weeks with her hovering is enough.”

“I thought you wanted her to hover.”

“Not this much,” Alex mumbles. She reaches over to the table and cuts off a piece of apple crumble pie for herself. “But if hovering can get me pie other than chocolate pecan, I, for one am okay with it.”

“This is blasphemy,” Kara says, even though she’s already taking the rest of the pie for herself.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Alex stabs another piece and carries it to her plate while Kara whines. Smirking triumphantly, Alex exaggerates her bites and moans at the delicious treat. “So good.”

Kara bends over the pie, hiding her suddenly blazing red face.

“Heat this up for me?” Alex holds out the remaining chicken pot pie made from scratch. Eliza sure did spoil them.

“You’re still hungry?” Kara uses her powers as a portable microwave for Alex. “You’re eating more than I am.”

“Well, my body did rebuild, literally.” Alex rubs her stomach and burps. “It needs fuel.”

“You’re going to get fat,” Kara points out.

“You don’t get fat.”

“I’m Kryptonian, you’re…” Kara licks her lips, unable to look at Alex again.

“Hey, I’m still me.” Alex holds onto Kara’s forearm, absentmindedly caressing the soft skin along Kara’s wrist. “Still little ole’ human me.”

“Yea…” Kara says with a put on smile. “Human you who’s going to run out of metabolism soon and you’ll get fat.”

“I’ll just work it off with you.” Alex sighs wistfully. “Would’ve been nice if I’d been able to keep those Kryptonian cells.” She points to the pot roast this time. “For example, how awesome would it be if I could just heat that up?”

Kara chuckles lightly before heating it up for Alex.

“Thank you,” Alex says, carving off a few slices and shoveling it into her mouth.

Kara hands the rest of her pie to Alex. At Alex’s incredulous look at the food offering, Kara thrusts it insistently into Alex’s hands. “You need to eat. Burning up that virus took everything…” Kara swallows the lump in her throat.

“Good thing I have this amazing sister who shared her DNA to save me,” Alex’s nose scrunches up. “Wait that sounded weird.” She shakes her head. “There aren’t any little Kara’s running around the Genesis Chamber are there?”

“What? No. That’s not how it works. The chamber needed a template of Kryptonian DNA so it could alter yours.” Kara wrings her hands on her lap.

“Good, the universe is not ready for mini-Kara’s. We’ll be suffering a food shortage with that pout.”

“Hey not fair!” Kara whines, poking at Alex’s cheeks. “What about mini-Alex’s? They’ll be touting guns and breaking hearts with _your_ pouts.”

Alex narrows her eyes. “I do not pout.”

“Yes you do.”

“Do not.”

“Tell that to your face!” Kara floats up to Alex’s fridge, taking out the container of vegan ice cream, courtesy of Maggie.

“I want some!”

She reaches over to steal the pint of ice cream from Kara. Faking indignation, Kara leans over Alex to grab it back but Alex doesn’t let go.

“Fine!” Kara huffs, laying over Alex and refusing to move.

Alex triumphantly feasts on the ice cream while Kara stares with wide watery eyes. Shifting to a comfortable position, Alex doesn’t notice Kara’s pupils dilate when their bodies press closer. Kara momentarily basks before the guilt comes back and she shoots up, hovering near the ceiling.

“Uh…Kara?”

“Supergirl stuff,” Kara says as an excuse. She changes into her uniform fast and leaps out the window before Alex can ask if she needs help.

She flies as close to the sun as she can, the cacophony of sounds on earth act as white noise. She’s made her decision, she won’t ever tell Alex. Alex doesn’t deserve that burden. As long as Alex is healthy, happy, alive, Kara will be content.

If she says that enough, maybe she’ll start to believe it.

“Kara…”

Her eyes snap open. Alex’s voice breaks through everything else. It’s trembling in fear.

Kara zooms to Alex’s apartment, creating wind drafts behind her. She skids when she lands, seeing the destroyed furniture in the living room. Kara’s chest heaves, eyes blazing, looking for the one responsible for hurting Alex.

Except it’s Alex in the middle of the destruction. Hugging her knees and whimpering, Alex rocks back and forth.

“Kara…” Alex whimpers again.

“Alex!” Kara rushes over, tugging Alex into a hug. “What happened?”

“I don’t…I don’t know!” Alex sniffles, burrowing her head into Kara’s neck. “I can’t…I can’t stop _breaking_ everything.”

Kara’s breath hitches. She looks at the broken chairs and tables around her and at the sunlight streaming around them.

“Alex?” Kara’s voice hitches, hoping. “I need you to squeeze my hand as tight as you can.”

“What? Kara, I can’t!”

“You won’t hurt me,” Kara says.

Alex hesitantly takes her hand and slowly squeezes. Their hands tremble together at Alex’s strength. Kara’s face breaks into a smile. The bones creak in her hand.  Alex is hurting her.

Alex isn’t entirely human.

Kara won’t be alone anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember those recap ending couch scenes in s01? Throwback!
> 
> Episodic format, this would be the TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR THE NEXT EP! Except…well I don’t have the next episode ready. Tune in next season after the hiatus!
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos. Really makes me happy that y’all are enjoying this. (Reminder that it makes me happier to see, hint hint if you guys want to encourage me to write the next installment)


End file.
